The Amherst football team totaled a season-high 464 yards of offense on Saturday, propelling the squad to a 31-14 win against the Bowdoin Polar Bears.
On the Mammoths’ first drive of the game, Ollie Eberth ’20 found Jack Hickey ’19 for an 11-yard gain, an auspicious start for the potent Amherst offense. On the very next play, Hickey took Eberth’s hand off and showcased his ability by cutting up the middle and going 52 yards to the end zone, giving Amherst the 7-0 lead.
After the Mammoths missed a field goal on their next drive, the Polar Bears found some momentum to tie the game at 7-7. Two long passes keyed the Bowdoin drive, including the 36-yard touchdown pass by Griff Stalcup to Nick Vailas with two minutes left in the first quarter.
However, Amherst retook the lead in their following drive, going 83 yards in just over four minutes.
Eberth connected with Harry Boeschenstein ’20 for 22 yards, and James O’Regan ’20 snagged an impressive 41-yard catch before Hasani Figueroa ’18 capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Although the Mammoths next two drives sputtered out, Eberth managed to put together a perfect two-minute drill at the end of the first half, driving 70 yards in just 1:53 to set up a 27-yard John Rak ’19 field goal. With the kick, Amherst entered the half boasting a 17-7 lead.
After the Amherst defense continued their strong play, forcing a Bowdoin three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, Nate Tyrell ’19 gave the Mammoths excellent field position after a 54-yard punt return.
On the very next play, Eberth capitalized on the great field position, hitting O’Regan in stride for a 38-yard touchdown pass to give Amherst a commanding 24-7 lead. The Amherst defense stood strong again on the next Bowdoin possession, with Drew Bryant ’18 intercepting a third-and-9 throw by Stalcup, and returning it for 9 yards to the Bowdoin 43.
Eberth worked fast, finding Justin Berry ’20 for a 20-yard gain and following it up with the quarterback’s first rushing TD of the season, a 23-yard scramble that proved to be the last Amherst points on the day.
Several more possessions ensued for both teams but neither got on the scoreboard until the 4:29 mark in the fourth quarter, when the Polar Bears logged the final points of the day on a touchdown pass.
Biafra Okoronkwo ’20 closed out the game for Amherst, rushing for 41 yards and two first downs on five consecutive hand-offs as the Mammoths ran out the clock to clinch the 31-14 victory.
Hickey led the rushing game for Amherst, recording 118 yards on 13 attempts. O’Regan dominated as well, hauling in six catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Sommer ’19 notched a game-high nine tackles, and Andrew Yamin ’19 had three tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks.
The Mammoths host Middlebury next weekend at home, when they will look to avenge last year’s loss to the Panthers, which brought Amherst’s record 23-game win streak to a crashing halt. The game will be played on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m.
